posted at 4:01 pm on June 12, 2013 by Allahpundit

The news broke within the last few minutes. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because Morell was the guy who signed off on the now infamous edit of the CIA’s Benghazi talking points that removed references to previous warnings about jihadi activity in the area. Is today’s resignation related to that, or is it related somehow to the NSA/PRISM/Snowden clusterfark?

Fox News is quoting his statement as saying “It’s time for my family,” but I can’t remotely believe this guy would quit now in the middle of a Category Five natsec hurricane knowing how suspicious it would look if he didn’t have a more compelling reason than that. Is he being squeezed out because there’s some more damning leak to come and the White House wants to get out in front of it by dispatching with the person or persons responsible?

Stand by for updates.

Update: The person set to replace Morell as deputy is — ta da — a White House lawyer who’s worked on national security issues. Is she being chosen because new CIA chief John Brennan knows/respects her from his time working with her in the WH or because O wants a tighter hold on the CIA and needs loyalists in charge there to make it happen?

Update: If O wanted a scapegoat for NSA snooping, which would be really weird given that he’s been defending the snooping himself, he’d can the NSA’s director, no? Morell seems a bit far afield to blame for that unless there’s something we don’t know.

Morell, widely admired both within the intelligence community and Capitol Hill, is a veteran of the CIA’s analytical division, rather than undercover espionage, and had worked at the agency for 33 years.

He will join the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the White House said.

O might want Morell out but he doesn’t want him disgruntled. An honorary position on his intel board might keep him happy, no? Then again, if Morell’s moving over to the IAB, presumably that means there’s nothing scandalous about him coming out. No point in cutting him loose from CIA to distance the White House from him if you’re going to appoint him to a presidential board instead. Maybe this really is an exceptionally ill-timed resignation for personal reasons.

Blowback

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“WASHINGTON — CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell retired from his post Wednesday, after managing the resignation of former CIA Director David Petraeus (peh-TRAY’-uhs) over an extramarital affair, and defending the agency’s performance over the attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

Morell was passed over for the top CIA spot by President Barack Obama in favor of his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, who announced Morrell’s departure Wednesday.

Brennan said he Morell will be replaced by Avril Haines, currently a deputy assistant to the president and legal adviser at the National Security Council.

Morell agreed to the State Department’s request to remove a reference to militants in a controversial memo of talking points on the Libya attack.

Morell also drew criticism for stating that the CIA’s interrogation program produced some useful information…”

Haines, who will succeed career officer Michael Morell on Aug. 9, has served for three years as President Obama’s deputy counsel in charge of national security issues and as legal adviser to the National Security Council. Although she has never worked inside the intelligence agency, “she knows more about covert action than anyone in the U.S. government outside of the CIA

Why does somebody outside of the CIA know all about covert actions?

Why do we bother having Top Secret security clearances? There are no secrets anymore.

Shouldn’t the president know more about covert actions than some hack lawyer?

You could be 250 years old and you would still never remember any administration getting away with the outright treason and crimes against the Constitution and the People that you have seen with this one.

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on June 12, 2013 at 4:13 PM

Okay that simply isn’t true. Hitler was only slightly less effective at this kind of stuff.

As far as American administrations, you’re dead on accurate. They make no pretense of caring about the Constitution these days. All government agencies and actions are nothing more than political tools to a radical left-wing agenda. We’ve seen it with the IRS, the NSA, and (I’m convinced) that OFA database being used to push out non-Democrat voters.

Is there a stronger claim of Executive Privilege if he is part of the WH’s intel board as opposed to working at the CIA? Presumably either way, he would have privacy claims related to national security, however, Congress could go into private session with him on those issues.

So has the Ron Brown thing (whose son just plead guilty for corruption on the DC Council). Face it, the Clintons made it very hard for any other politician to have a string of conveniently dead possible witnesses to scandal.

Glenn Beck said today, that the country will be rocked in the next 24 hours. He went on to talk about how dyer is going to be. Beck has seen a document from a whistleblower, that will take down the entire power structure both GOP, Dems, a lot in congress, even outside of congress. He’s saying the American people will be greatly divided in the next 10 days. He even said we’re going to witness things that’s never been seen in American before.
The whistleblower is scared to dead. That one document will take down the power structure be but, Beck has seen one document that will take them all down. They guy want do it unless in front of congress and televised, said the guy is dead (literally) from both GOP & Dems, not to mention the current administration!

You people just don’t get it, do you? As a newly-appointed member of the Whitehouse’s Executive Team, Obama wraps the claim of “executive privilege” around this guy so he can’t be called to testify, just like he recently did with Susan Rice.

Glenn Beck said today, that the country will be rocked in the next 24 hours. He went on to talk about how dyer is going to be. Beck has seen a document from a whistleblower, that will take down the entire power structure both GOP, Dems, a lot in congress, even outside of congress. He’s saying the American people will be greatly divided in the next 10 days. He even said we’re going to witness things that’s never been seen in American before.
The whistleblower is scared to dead. That one document will take down the power structure be but, Beck has seen one document that will take them all down. They guy want do it unless in front of congress and televised, said the guy is dead (literally) from both GOP & Dems, not to mention the current administration!

Zcat on June 12, 2013 at 5:20 PM

These days I take what Glenn Beck says on a wait and see basis. So, let’s wait and see.

These days I take what Glenn Beck says on a wait and see basis. So, let’s wait and see.

oldroy on June 12, 2013 at 5:22 PM

Yeah, he’s overpromised before.

a capella on June 12, 2013 at 5:27 PM

True, but on the other hand, he was one of the first (with any degree of visibility) to start banging the drum on the Jarrett presidency regarding threats like Van Jones, Anita Dunn, Cloward-Piven and others. Credit where credit’s due.

And I also proclaim, to the horror-the horror of goodie-tooshoos MadCon, the End of the Age of Islamic Terror.

To say that we have to surrender our freedoms and peace of mind out of fear of a few bearded fanatics slumming along some goat-track in far-off Kafiristan dreaming of Bacha Bazi, when the actual probability of any group being able to pull off a major strike within our borders is null to zero.

When the chief threat of terrorist attacks within our borders is from Islamics who have been imported into this country by the same All-Seeeing State that now uses their presence here as an excuse to seize our freedoms and our money in order protect us against this threat that the State has itself created- the best way to defend ourselves is to dissolve this treasonous government and replace them with patriots from among We the People who have the nation’s best interests at heart.

The chief terrorist group that threatens this country is now operating within our borders in the form of the Gang of Eight and the treasonus worm Mark Rubio in attempting to detonate the suicide-vest dirty bomb Amnesty Bill.

It’s We the People who need our own fleet of weaponized drones and extensive eavesdropping apparatus in order to track and defend ourselves from these madmen bent on our destruction.

Glenn Beck said today, that the country will be rocked in the next 24 hours. He went on to talk about how dyer is going to be. Beck has seen a document from a whistleblower, that will take down the entire power structure both GOP, Dems, a lot in congress, even outside of congress. He’s saying the American people will be greatly divided in the next 10 days. He even said we’re going to witness things that’s never been seen in American before.
The whistleblower is scared to dead. That one document will take down the power structure be but, Beck has seen one document that will take them all down. They guy want do it unless in front of congress and televised, said the guy is dead (literally) from both GOP & Dems, not to mention the current administration!

Zcat on June 12, 2013 at 5:20 PM

Promises, promises. This is similar to what was posted on Canadian Free Press a few days ago.

I’ll buy the popcorn, but hold off on popping it just yet as this has been said before.

I’m worried about the amatuer Obama chose to replace Morell. Just a couple short years ago she was a junior State Department lawyer, in a group famous for their self-impressed horseshit attitude towards the CIA. During 9/11 for crying out loud, she was a legal intern in the Hague. After the State assignment, she went on to be a mid-level staffer in the WH, where she met her mentor John Brennan (by the way, has anyone figured out if he converted to Islam while he was over in Saudi, or not?).

She only knows the CIA from the perspective of a consumer of limited amounts of their product. And, did I mention she was a State Department lawyer? We are in deep doodoo.

Ben Gazzara plays a successful lawyer who is told by his doctor in the first episode that he will die in one to two years. He decides to do all of the things he has never had time for. The program becomes a series of plays in which he meets a wide variety of people from bums riding the rails, to gigolos, to orphans and becomes a man who has little fear of death and everything but time.

“If I know every single phone call you made I’m able to determine every single person you talk to. I can get a pattern about your life that is very, very intrusive. The real question here is what do they do with this information they collect that does not have anything to do with Al-Qaeda? And we’re going to trust the president and the vice president of the United States that they’re doing the right thing. Don’t count me in on that.“

I’m worried about the amatuer Obama chose to replace Morell. Just a couple short years ago she was a junior State Department lawyer, in a group famous for their self-impressed horseshit attitude towards the CIA. During 9/11 for crying out loud, she was a legal intern in the Hague. After the State assignment, she went on to be a mid-level staffer in the WH, where she met her mentor John Brennan (by the way, has anyone figured out if he converted to Islam while he was over in Saudi, or not?).

She only knows the CIA from the perspective of a consumer of limited amounts of their product. And, did I mention she was a State Department lawyer? We are in deep doodoo.

Obama should be impeached! His protectors should be brought up on charges and if found guilty, put in jail!
I am sick and tired of our representatives playing tootsie under the table with these criminals!
Will someone, anyone stand up for America and our Constitution?
I can’t understand what is happening? Our country has undergone a coup. People like Rubio are attempting to change our entire way of life and the complexion of our country.
People say what will we do with X million illegals? Well, what is anyone doing now?
They already get taxpayer provided food stamps, section 8 housing, medical treatment (emergency rooms) free educations, food stamps/EBT cards, WIC and so much more.
Hell, I’d like their life! I am working two jobs trying to make ends meet, trying to hold on to my home and these leaches are sucking the life out of my family.
Obama and his crew are sucking the life out of AMERICA and NO ONE is doing a damn thing about it? His attorney general lies before congress, his NSA chief lies before congress, his IRS Lerner lies before congress and NOTHING happens?
What the hell is going on?????
Beam me up!

Wouldn’t it be nice if Morell could squeeze in a little time to help Organizing For America in integrating metadata from NSA er I mean Google, Microsoft, Verizon, ATT, and similar giants. We know OFA got private 501(c) application data that somehow migrated from ironclad security at IRS. Wouldn’t we all be shocked SHOCKED if that sort of thing happens again and again.

Hhmmm, this looks like “Presidential Privilege” will be invoked on all the scandals.

Those with “knowledge” in the agencies surrounded by scandal are resigning only to reappear as Adviser/Counsel to the President. Those who have been Adviser/Counsel to the President are moving into the scandalized agencies.